Plagued by injuries for the better part of a year, Sherk wants to
prove he still belongs among the elite at 155 pounds. He will take
on the unbeaten Evan Dunham
in a featured lightweight matchup at UFC
119 “Mir vs. Cro Cop” on Sept. 25 at the Conseco Fieldhouse in
Indianapolis.

“Everyone keeps bringing up this age thing, but when I fought
[Edgar], I didn’t get my ass kicked by any means,” Sherk said
during a recent appearance on the Sherdog Radio Network’s Savage
Dog Show. “I lost the decision, but I didn’t get beat up. I
didn’t get taken down. I didn’t get hurt. I didn’t get knocked out.
So as far as me not being able to compete, I still think I’m one of
the best fighters in the world.

“I’m a force to be reckoned with,” he added. “Anyone who thinks I’m
not can step in the Octagon with me. I’ve got all kinds of stuff
left to offer this industry and this sport. I’m not going anywhere
for a long time. I haven’t lost any athleticism. I haven’t lost any
of my ability. I’ve only gotten better, and I’ve only gotten
smarter.”

Due to injuries, Sherk has not competed since his unanimous
decision defeat to Edgar at UFC 98 in May 2009. He was forced to
drop out of fights against Gleison
Tibau at UFC 104 in October (right shoulder injury), Jim Miller at
UFC 108 in January (cut on his forehead) and Clay Guida at
UFC Live 1 in March (undisclosed injury).

“I trained so hard for years, and I felt like I had to train hard
and train myself 100 percent for these fights because I was
fighting a lot of tough guys,” Sherk said. “I really haven’t fought
anybody who was outside the top 10 since 2005. I’ve had to train my
butt off to get ready for these fights, and I did what I needed to
do. Unfortunately, after training that hard for that long, your
body will start giving out on you. But I took some time off and was
able to get myself healed up.”

Despite his lengthy career and impressive victories, Sherk finds
himself listed as an underdog to Dunham going into the fight. Some
point to the injury-induced layoff; others simply view Dunham as
the superior fighter. Sherk has no idea why oddsmakers favor his
opponent, nor does he care.

“To be honest, I don’t ever go online,” Sherk said. “I don’t read
any press. I don’t read any interviews. I don’t listen to what the
fans say. It really doesn’t matter to me. I’ve been the underdog,
but I’m actually surprised that I’m the underdog [against Dunham].
I’ve accomplished more than 95 percent of the fighters in the world
have accomplished, so it kind of surprises me that I’d be
considered the underdog. But that’s great. I’ve been dealing with
adversity and stuff like that my entire career, so this won’t be
any different.”

Sherk does not anticipate any negative affects from his 16-month
layoff when he enters the cage against Dunham, a 28-year-old
Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who has yet to taste defeat in 11
professional appearances.

“I’ve been competing since I was 7 years old,” Sherk said. “It’s
not like you forget how to fight because you took a year off. I
think the main thing is that I’m totally 100 percent rejuvenated.
I’m excited to be back in the Octagon again. I’ve had about a
17-week training camp for this fight, so it’s not like I’ve been
sitting at home watching TV and eating potato chips. I’ve done a
lot of preparation for this thing. I’m more than ready.”